Reflections, a series of One shots
by thesecondgarde
Summary: A series of random one shots, previously published as Human. A quick look into the minds of the Garde and their allies while on the run, in battle and in the few moments of relative calm. Prompts gladly accepted. Marked complete since I will update based on my mood. Rated T to be safe. CHAPTER 3 (NIARA) IS UP!
1. Human - Navrina

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Lorien Legacies or "Human", by Christina Perri.**

* * *

**I can hold my breath**

I close my eyes and lower myself into the tub letting the cold water chill me to the bone. I need to think. I need to be alone. Away from Six's concerned stare and Nine's apologies.

**I can bite my tongue**

I haven't said anything about my feelings to anyone yet. I can't bring myself to accept it. That he's gone, that I couldn't do anything to save him... that he's never coming back.

**I can stay awake for days**

I haven't slept since that day, because every time I close my eyes I see it all over again, the blade sliding through his heart, his arms outstretched as he stumbles towards me, his last words lost before they leave his lips.

**If that's what you want**

He never had a chance to defend himself, and that's what he wanted. He made a choice... and I know it's selfish of me to wish he had asked me first. Ask if I was Ok with losing him... just ask.

**Be your number one**

He was my best friend, that's all I'm sure of. But we could have been much more... we could have been together. But now he's gone

**I can fake a smile**  
**I can force a laugh**  
**I can dance and play the part**  
**If that's what you ask**

But I don't let the others see my pain, or atleast the true extent of it. They pity me, they think I'm fragile... broken even. He would never have wanted to see me like this, but for me to be happy? That's a request he can never make of me...

**Give you all I am...**

**I can turn it on**  
**Be a good machine**

I don't feel anything anymore. My life has become routine, I'm not living, not even surviving... just existing. A biological machine that will go on until the day I finally join him.

**I can hold the weight of worlds**

But until then I fight this war... our war. A war to protect not only the world, the planet I left behind but the one that sheltered me as well. This planet, Earth, my home for many years will not fall to the Mogadorians... I will not let it.

**If that's what you need**  
**Be your everything...**

**I can do it**

I won't stand on the sidelines anymore... I'm going to fight. I'm going to be strong.

**I can do it**

I can be the warrior I need to be... I can give up who I am.

**I'll get through it**

I will win this war... for him. For us.I'll make him proud.

**I can take so much**  
**Until I've had enough...**

I can do it...and I will. But now, I need to find strength. To keep me going, to stop me from wanting to give it all up and join him, though it is much before my time to go... as it was in his case...

**'Cause I'm only human**  
**And I bleed when I fall down**  
**I'm only human**  
**And I crash and I break down**  
**Your words in my head, knives in my heart**  
**You build me up and then I fall apart**  
**'Cause I'm only human, yeah**

But I'm not... not human even in the slightest sense of the word. I might have been when I was Marina, but now she's gone... trapped in the ice with him... together, in the most tragic of senses.

And that's why I can't afford to fall apart.

Now, I am Number Seven.

And I'm not going to let anyone else die because of me. I'm going to avenge Lorien, my race... and him.

Eight. My Eight.


	2. I won't give up - AdamOne

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Lorien Legacies or the song "I won't give up" by Jason Mraz.**

* * *

It's been one year. One year since she's been gone.

Oh the irony.

**When I look into your eyes**

**It's like watching the night sky**

**Or a beautiful sunrise**

**Well, there's so much they hold**

I sit on the roof of our latest motel, staring out into the horizon.

The Garde have assembled downstairs for dinner, and I'm due to be called down any minute now, but I have some time. Even if it's a little, it's all I need to see her in my mind's eye.

Most of the Garde were too young to remember the date they got One's scar, but I'll never forget it.

I'll never forget her.

**And just like them old stars**

**I see that you've come so far**

**To be right where you are**

**How old is your soul?**

She was taken too young, they all were.

She never had a chance to discover her legacies, to meet the others, to finish what she started, and what she had to.

But she tried, and got as far as her situation would allow her to.

She found me, the real me, who I never even knew existed. She brought me to the Garde.

She changed my life... for the better.

**And when you're needing your space**

**To do some navigating**

**I'll be here patiently waiting**

**To see what you find**

I remember when she was still here, the voice in my head, a ethereal figure by my side.

She was my conscience, my supporter, my critic.

But above all, she was my only true friend.

But then she started to fade away, like a memory, or colour does over time. I didn't understand at first, because I didn't want to.

I couldn't loose her.

But then, when she started slipping away to the darkness I waited for her, begged her to stay. It was hurting her, and by extension me, so I had to try to save her, or learn to let her go.

When her absences increased in frequency and duration, I waited for her to reappear...constantly worried that she wouldn't.

**'Cause even the stars they burn**

**Some even fall to the earth**

My eyes scan the darkening skies for the one light the Garde find naturally.

Lorien.

The Mogadorians destroyed it, a planet so beautiful and peaceful, with absolutely no regrets or the tiniest ounce of mercy.

They went along their path of decimation and destruction until all that was left were Nine children.

Nine children destined to avenge a fallen race.

The nine who escaped to earth as their planet and species burnt under the rage of the invaders.

**We've got a lot to learn**

**God knows we're worth it**

They were strangers to this planet, and with the last hopes of a dying planet on their shoulders, there was so much they had to learn to fit in, to stay hidden, lest they were found.

And from One's memories, it's clear that it was far from easy.

But despite the seemingly impossible odds, they have survived.

Not without losses, not without sacrifice, but they've made it so far.

**No, I won't give up**

And I'm going to be there to help the rest of the way.

**I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily**

**I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make**

There was a point in time where I believed that I alone couldn't make a significant difference, when I believed I was powerless and weak in face of the Garde.

But One changed everything.

She made me believe in this cause, in the fact that this war could be won.

She made me believe in me, by doing so herself.

And I'm not about to let her down, after all she's done for me.

I'll fight, and while I might not be as strong as the Garde, or as gifted, I'll make up for it with my determination.

I'm going to make a difference.

**Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use**

**The tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake**

Differences.

Its our differences that make all the difference in this war.

One and I would have never been able to achieve all we have until now if we weren't so different, so unique.

Her, the headstrong, powerful Garde and me, the Mogadorian defector.

Our differences are our greatest strength in this war, with the fate of not one, not two, but in my mind, three worlds at stake.

Earth, Lorien, and Mogadore.

**And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend**

**For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn**

**We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in**

It's only now that I fully understand what One meant to me.

I loved her, someone I would have never met if not for the experiment in Dr. Anu's lab.

A Loric and a Mogadorian, who would have thought it possible?

But we made it without our lives crashing down on us.

We made it work.

And now it's up to me to carry forth her legacy.

**I had to learn what I've got,**

Her legacy, her final gift to me.

**and what I'm not,**

Her faith, that I was different from the others, that I was capable of much more.

**and who I am**

And her conviction that I was a worthy ally, a friend... And maybe more.

**Well, I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)**

**God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)**

**We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)**

**God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)**

And so I won't give up, whatever this war brings, whatever I'm required to do to change this world.

To bring back the peace.

I'm strong enough, with One in my mind and my heart, nothing can convince me otherwise.

I have a long way to go, and a lot to learn.

But I'm not giving up.

**I won't give up on us**

**Even if the skies get rough**

**I'm giving you all my love**

**I'm still looking up**

I could never give up on her.

One.


	3. Fine by me- Niara

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Lorien Legacies or "Fine by me" by Andy Grammer. **

* * *

"Nine please!", Ella whines as she pushes the mike towards me for easily the hundredth time and I have to resist the urge to pull my hair out.

"I told you kid, I don't sing!", I grumble back and push it away, hoping she'll decide to stop trying and leave me alone.

Ever since the girls discovered Sandor's bloody Karaoke machine, they've been singing non stop, and what's worse is that they've been trying to get the rest of us to join in.

Eight gave in last week, after a lot of pleading from Marina and unfortunately for us all, he sounds like a dying animal when he sings.

What's even more unfortunate is the fact that it doesn't seem to faze him in the least, and so we're forced to hear his off key renditions of every song known to mankind.

In such situations, having enhanced hearing doesn't do you any favors.

"Don't you want to tell Kiara how you feel about her?", Ella asks with her eyebrows raised and I rub the back of my neck as I answer, sounding more and more pained by the minute.

"Ella, I don't need to sing to her to tell her what she already knows and plus-", I start to say, looking to Kiara for support.

She smiles back at me, clearly amused but her smile doesn't reach her eyes, in which I see a bit of disappointment.

Does she actually expect me to do this? She's not really the type for the whole flowers

and chocolates kind of thing, but singing? She expects me to sing to her?

I gulp and swallow the rest of my sentence as she opens her mouth to add something, but Eight interrupts.

"Nine's just making excuses to avoid admitting he's afraid", he says, and I can imagine the smirk on his face even before I whip around to face him.

Scared? Me? Seriously?

I open my mouth to retort -with probably more cuss words than required- when Sammy laughs before standing up and squaring his shoulders.

"I'm Nine, I can kill two hundred Mogs with my little finger", he says in what is clearly the worst imitation of my voice I have ever heard. But the others don't seem to think so as they burst out laughing.

I'm seriously pissed off, and it only gets worse when Six grabs a mike and waves it in front of his face as he pretends to cower in fear, screaming like a six-year-old girl.

"Okay that's it", I say as I stand up and grab the mike from Ella as the others snicker at my discomfort. I walk to the front of the room and start to browse through the song catalog, looking for anything that isn't overly stupid, cheesy and all out lame among the few I've heard.

I finally select a song and turn to Kiara, who's smiling at me in earnest now.

I guess I was right about the singing thing.

I only hope I don't screw this up, I'll never be able to live that down.

I tap my foot through the first few bars, trying desperately to not look at the others who are giggling like lunatics and focussing on Kiara, who gives me a wink.

Well here goes nothing.

_**You're not the type, type of girl to remain**_

_**With the guy, with the guy too shy too afraid to **_

_**Say he'll give his heart to you forever.**_

Kiara smiles and shakes her head, laughing slightly, but I can tell she's already impressed.

_**I'm not the boy, who'll fall to his knees**_

_**With his hands clasped tight **_

_**Begging, begging you please to **_

_**Stay with him for worse, or for better.**_

She raises her eyebrows at me and I wink back, making her smile.

_**But I'm staring at you now,**_

_**There's no one else around,**_

_**I'm thinking you're the girl for me. **_

I look away from her briefly to send a glare -the best I can manage while singing- at the others.

I'd like nothing more than for them to get up and leave now, and though I'm sure they get the hint, they make no move to take it.

Thankfully this song isn't all that cheesy, I think to myself as I start on the chorus.

_**I'm just saying it's fine by me, if you never leave,**_

_**And we can live like this forever, it's fine by me.**_

Kiara laughs at the lyrics, though I'm sure she's secretly thrilled, and the others have fallen silent, their faces reflecting a hint of confusion and, awe? I take a second to pride at my song choice.

_**In the past I would try, try hard to commit to a girl **_

_**Wouldn't get too far **_

_**It always somehow seemed to fall apart. **_

Fall apart, right. If you can describe meeting a gory end of "Death-by-Piken" as "falling apart".

I shudder a little at the thought, but I'm sure the others don't notice.

_**But with, with you I can see **_

_**What I need, I can dream realistically, **_

_**I knew that this was different from the start.**_

Kiara's eyes reflect a mix of pride, concern and another emotion I can't quite place as I continue. I know the reference to Maddy wasn't lost on her, but thankfully she doesn't seem to be upset or anything.

_**And it seems that every time we're eye to eye, I can find,**_

_**Another piece of you, that I don't wanna loose.**_

I hear Eight scoff out "Cheesy" and send him a murderous glare as Marina elbows him in the ribs.

She gives him a look of disapproval as she says, "It wasn't when you said it to me", at which he turns a little red and looks sheepish as I smirk in their direction.

_**And I'm staring at you now, there's no one else around,**_

_**I'm thinking you're the girl I need. **_

I try glaring at the others again, but to no avail and I have to stop myself from sighing as I start the next chorus.

_**I'm just saying it's fine by me, if you never leave,**_

_**And we can lay like this forever, it's fine by me.**_

_**And it's never easy, but darling believe me, **_

_**I'm as skeptical as you.**_

Kiara looks more serious now. We had actually discussed it, the feasibility of a relationship in the middle of the war, but had come to the conclusion that we didn't want a repeat of what happened to Eight and Marina.

I don't think second chances come around twice.

_**But when I think of, life without "us", **_

_**It seems like "What we're supposed to do?"**_

_**But I don't wanna come on too strong.**_

She laughs, knowing as well as I do that this was probably the most ironic line in the whole song. Though she didn't realise it at the time, I made absolutely no efforts to hide how I felt about her before we got together, something she finds quite hilarious in retrospect.

I don't see how me assuming she liked Mog boy was funny.

_**I'm just saying it's fine by me, if you never leave,**_

_**We can lay like this forever, it's fine by me.**_

_**I'm just saying it's fine by me, if you never leave,**_

_**We can lay like this forever, it's fine by me.**_

I finish with a flourish and raise my eyebrows at the others' shocked expressions.

"You...", Six starts to say in awe, her eyes wide.

"Can sing", Johnny finishes for her and looks at me in disbelief.

I smirk back as I turn to Kiara, only to find her right next to me, and before I can react, she pulls me in for a kiss.

"You have to do that more often", she says with a smile as she pulls away and I grin back.

"That depends on what's in it for me...", I say but she cuts me off with another kiss -a clear answer to my unfinished question- as the others yell at us to get a room.

She's right, as usual.

I should really do this more often.

* * *

**Yes, it's a little cheesy... :P **

**But at least its not sad! :) **

**Thanks for reading **

**thesecondgarde**


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